Feed ramp extension bracket for firearm

ABSTRACT

A feed ramp bracket for a firearm is provided. A channel is formed within an upper receiver. The channel is positioned to be below a barrel extension feed ramp of a barrel extension secured within the upper receiver. A bracket is releasably secured within the channel. The bracket is a replaceable piece that replaces a portion of the upper receiver, preventing wear.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisionalapplication No. 62/126,859, filed Mar. 2, 2015, the contents of whichare herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to firearms and, more particularly, to afeed ramp bracket secured to an upper receiver of a firearm.

The AR platform is a lightweight, cartridge magazine-fed, air-cooledrifle with a rotating lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gasoperation or long/short stroke piston operation. It has been produced inmany different versions, including numerous semi-automatic and selectfire variants. It is manufactured with extensive use of aluminum alloysand synthetic materials. Currently, hard tipped ammunition causeserosion or wear in the upper receiver on the AR platform rifles. Thiswear causes an obstruction or ridge to form between the barrel extensionand the upper receiver. The wear induced obstruction causes ammunitionnot to feed into the chamber of the AR platform rifle, which increasespre-mature failure rates for the AR platform rifles.

As can be seen, there is a need for a replaceable bracket that preventswear to the upper receiver of a firearm.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus comprises: an upperreceiver of an AR platform firearm; a channel formed within the upperreceiver and positioned to be below a barrel extension feed ramp of abarrel extension secured within the upper receiver; and a bracketreleasably secured within the channel.

In another aspect of the present invention, a method of preventingdamage to an upper receiver comprises: forming a channel within theupper receiver positioned to be below a barrel extension feed ramp of abarrel extension secured within the upper receiver; and releasablysecuring a bracket within the channel.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdrawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present inventionshown in use;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a modified upper receiver shownwith a bracket installed;

FIG. 3 is a reverse bottom perspective detail view of the modified upperreceiver shown with the bracket installed;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view demonstrating the bracket removed from achannel formed within the modified upper receiver;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a section detail view of the receiver along line 7-7 in FIG.3; and

FIG. 8 is a prior art view of an unmodified upper receiver.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. Thedescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merelyfor the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention,since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

The present invention includes a hardened feed ramp bracket that mergeswith the barrel extension on AR platform rifles. The hardened feed rampbracket of the present invention solves the problem of erosion to the ARplatform upper receiver. The bracket part prevents damage to the upperreceiver that causes the ridge to form between the upper receiver andthe barrel extension. This eliminates the failure to feed issues andextends the lifespan of the AR platform rifles. Further, if the bracketis worn or damaged, a user may easily replace the bracket as opposed toreplacing the entire receiver.

The present invention may be made from material that is harder than theAR platform upper receiver. The bracket may be placed within a channelformed in the upper receiver with the arms of the bracket facing thefront of the barrel. The concave radius cut corresponds to the convexshape of the barrel extension, and the relief cuts are in a position soas to allow ammunition to feed into the chamber of the rifle withoutmaking contact with the upper receiver of the AR platform rifle. Theholes in the arms of the bracket allow for set screws or pins to holdthe part in place, although with a good fit, the piece could be fit inplace without the arms of the bracket.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 8, the present invention includes amodified upper receiver 22 and a bracket 10. The modified upper receiver22 may be from an AR firearm 26 or other type of firearm. A channel 20is formed within the upper receiver 22 and positioned to be below abarrel extension feed ramp 30 of a barrel extension 28 secured withinthe upper receiver 22. A bracket 10 is releasably secured within thechannel 20. The bracket 10 includes a replaceable piece that replaces aportion of the upper receiver 22 that typically receives wear fromreceiving bullets.

The bracket 10 of the present invention may include a substantiallystraight base having an upper surface. A concave cutout 14 may be formedin the upper surface. The concave cutout 14 may mate with a convex shapeof the barrel extension 28 when the bracket 10 is within the channel 20and the barrel extension 28 is secured to the upper receiver 22. Incertain embodiments, bracket feed ramps 12 may be formed within theconcave cutout 14. The bracket feed ramps 12 may include cutouts withinthe concave cutout 14 with a smaller radius of curvature. The bracketfeed ramps 12 are positioned to align with the barrel extension feedramps 30, which prevent additional wear to the bracket 10.

In certain embodiments, the bracket 10 may be U-shaped, having a basewith two arms substantially perpendicular and extending from oppositeends of the base. The base and pair of arms of the bracket 10 may fitwithin the channel 20. In certain embodiments, each of the pair of armsincludes a threaded through hole 16. Threaded set screws 18 are operableto engage the threaded through holes 16, abutting a portion of thereceiver, and thereby securing the bracket 10 within the channel 20.

A method of preventing damage to an upper receiver 22 may include thefollowing. A channel 20 may be formed in an unmodified upper receiver 24of a firearm 26, forming the modified upper receiver 22. The channel 20is positioned to be below a barrel extension feed ramp 30 of a barrelextension 28. The bracket 10 may be inserted into the channel 20. Incertain embodiments, the bracket 10 may include the threaded throughholes 16 formed through the arms. A set screw may screwed into a throughhole 16 of each arm. The set screws 18 may be driven until the setscrews 18 abut a portion of the upper receiver, thereby securing thebracket 10 within the channel 20. Once the bracket 10 is placed in theupper receiver 22, the potential wear on the upper receiver 22 would beeliminated. If the bracket 10 were to experience wear, the bracket 10could be replaced in the field in a matter of minutes. The ability toreplace the part extends the lifespan of the weapon.

The bracket 10 of the present invention may be made of a metal strongerthan that of the upper receiver 22. For example, the bracket 10 may bemade of steel and the upper receiver 22 may be made of aluminum.However, the bracket is not limited to steel and may be made of variousmaterials, such as ceramics, various metals or metal alloys. The bracket10 can be cut from a larger piece of material and shaped with tools byhand or with machines. The bracket 10 could also be molded.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: an upper receiver of afirearm; a channel formed within the upper receiver and positioned to bebelow a barrel extension feed ramp of a barrel extension secured withinthe upper receiver; and a bracket releasably secured within the channel.2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bracket further comprises aconcave cutout formed to mate with a convex shape of the barrelextension.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the bracket furthercomprises bracket feed ramps positioned to align with the barrelextension feed ramps.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bracketcomprises a pair of arms extending substantially perpendicular to abase.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pair of arms eachcomprise threaded through holes.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, furthercomprising set screws releasably securing the bracket within the channelthrough the threaded through holes.
 7. A method of preventing damage toan upper receiver comprising: forming a channel within the upperreceiver positioned to be below a barrel extension feed ramp of a barrelextension secured within the upper receiver; and releasably securing abracket within the channel.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein thebracket further comprises a concave cutout formed to mate with a convexshape of the barrel extension.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein thebracket further comprises bracket feed ramps positioned to align withthe barrel extension feed ramps.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein thebracket comprises a pair of arms extending substantially perpendicularto a base.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the pair of arms eachcomprise threaded through holes.
 12. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising the step of threading set screws into the through holes untilthe set screws abut a portion of the upper receiver.